Neoserica (s.l.) ludingensis, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014

Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming, Yang, Xing-Ke & Ahrens, Dirk, 2014, A taxonomic revision of the Neoserica (sensu lato) pilosula group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 440, pp. 89-113 : 92

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Scarabaeidae

Neoserica (s.l.) ludingensis sp. n. Figs 1 E–H, 5

Type material examined.

Holotype: ♂ "China West Sichuan Moximian Luding Co. 13.-18.7.94 Benes [sic]" (ZFMK). Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ "Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1560m, leg. Zhang Yong" (IZAS, ZFMK), 1 ♂ "Yanzigou, Xinxing, Luding, Sichuan, 7.VIII.2004, 1560m, leg. Bai Ming, Wan Xia" (IZAS), 1 ♂ "Hailuogou, Luding, Sichuan, 11.VIII.2004, 1900m, leg. Bai Ming" (IZAS), 1 ♂ "Huangjing, Luzhou, Sichuan, 17.VII.2002, leg. Bai Ming, Wang Jianfeng" (HBUM).

Description.

Body length: 7.2 mm, length of elytra: 5.3 mm, width: 4.3 mm. Body oblong, reddish brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface shiny, densely covered with fine, semi-erect setae (Fig. 1H).

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, widest at base; lateral margins weakly convex and moderately convergent towards moderately rounded anterior angles; anterior margin shallowly sinuate medially; margins moderately reflexed; surface moderately elevated medially, coarsely and densely punctate, densely setose. Frontoclypeal suture finely incised, weakly elevated and moderately angled medially. Smooth area anterior to eye 2.5 times as wide as long. Ocular canthus moderately long, impunctate, with one or two single setae. Frons with coarse and moderately dense punctures, with dense setae being bent posteriorly. Eyes moderately large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.6. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with four antennomeres and straight, as long as remaining antennomeres combined. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly. Labrum short and almost straight anteriorly, with a transverse rim of very dense, short and robust setae.

Pronotum widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex and convergent anteriorly; anterior angles distinctly produced and sharp; posterior angles blunt, rounded at tip; anterior margin with fine, complete marginal line, weakly produced medially; surface densely and finely punctate, densely setose; anterior and lateral borders with sparse but longer setae; hypomeron carinate at base. Scutellum with fine, dense punctures and a few fine setae, on basal midline punctures less dense.

Elytra oblong, widest behind middle, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate; intervals nearly flat, odd ones slightly convex; intervals with fine, dense punctures, densely covered with fine, moderately long setae. Epipleural edge fine, ending at moderately curved external apical angle of elytra; epipleura densely setose, apical border with a wide membranous rim of microtrichomes (visible at magnification 100 ×).

Ventral surface shiny, finely and densely punctate. Metasternum with short, fine setae. Metacoxa glabrous, with a few single setae laterally. Abdominal sternites finely and densely punctate, finely setose, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.35. Pygidium moderately convex and shiny, finely and densely punctate, without smooth midline; shortly and densely setose, with sparse long and erect setae on disc and beside the apical margin.

Legs slender; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and densely punctate. Anterior margin of metafemur acute, without adjacent serrated line; posterior margin of metafemur smooth, dorsally and ventrally, in apical half moderately widened. Metatibia wide and moderately long, widest at two thirds of metatibial length; ratio of width/length: 1/3.2; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with two groups of spines; basal group shortly behind middle of metatibial length, apical group at three quarters of metatibial length; basally with a few strong short single setae; lateral face densely and coarsely punctate, sparsely and shortly setose; ventral edge finely serrated, with four robust equidistant setae; medial face impunctate; apex weakly truncate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres ventrally with sparse, short setae; not carinate laterally, impunctate dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge; first metatarsomere distinctly shorter than following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia moderately long, bidentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex. Female unknown.

Aedeagus: Fig. 1 E–G.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica ludingensis sp. n. differs from Neoserica pilosula by the slightly smaller eyes and by the shape of the aedeagus: the median lobe between the parameres is shorter and thicker, the left paramere is in lateral view nearly straight.

Etymology.

The new species is named after its occurrence in Luding county area.

Variation.

Body length: 7.2-7.3 mm, length of elytra: 5.3-5.4 mm, width: 4.3-4.4 mm.